Roman Aosta and the Arch of Augustus
The Rome of the Alps, with its theatre and cryptoporticus
At the confluence of the Dora Baltea and Buthier rivers, surrounded by the highest peaks of the Alps, Aosta is called the "Rome of the Alps" for the extraordinary number of Roman monuments it preserves. It was founded in 25 BC by the Emperor Augustus as Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, after the conquest of the Salassi, the Celtic people of the valley, to control the routes of the Great and Little St Bernard passes towards Gaul, and its historic centre still follows the regular grid of the Roman camp, enclosed by walls that are among the best preserved in Italy. At the entrance to the city stands the Arch of Augustus, an honorary arch built to celebrate the victory over the Salassi, under which, since the fifteenth century, hangs a wooden crucifix, now a copy, and nearby the Roman bridge over the Buthier, still in use.
The other monuments tell of the importance of the colony: the Porta Praetoria, the monumental eastern gate, with its double row of arches, the Roman theatre, whose southern façade, about 22 metres high, with its large arched windows, is one of the most photographed images of the city, the Cryptoporticus, a spectacular underground gallery with vaulted arcades that surrounded the sacred area of the forum, and the walls with their towers. On the outskirts, the Megalithic Area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans preserves an extraordinary prehistoric sanctuary with anthropomorphic stelae, menhirs and dolmens, dating back more than 5,000 years. In the city, the Cathedral and the Collegiate Church of Sant'Orso testify to its medieval history.
Tip: buy the combined ticket for the Roman sites; visit the Megalithic Area, one of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe.
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